Award in product development for the safer trucks

Posted on 22 September 2016

Timo Mayer, student from University of Applied Sciences in Niederrhein, has been working on mechanical and technical properties of high-tensile austenitic steels in the department of Applications Engineering at Outokumpu. With his work Timo won an award from the Association of German Engineers (VDI).

"I studied construction and development and consciously chose to include both areas in my Bachelor thesis. I found an interesting subject in the field of applications engineering after a discussion with Stefan Schuberth, Head of Applications Development at Krefeld R&D Center. I was able to prove in my study that high-tensile materials qualify as weldable with established galvanized steels for the commercial vehicle industry. This means that the crash safety of the vehicles can be increased while reducing the weight. The new nickel-free stainless steels are known as the Forta H-Series​. Avoiding nickel brings the dual benefit of price stability and greater strength – both of which are important factors for Outokumpu customers," Timo says.​

Outokumpu Forta H-series is known for its lightweight properties, which also have a positive influence on the CO2 footprint of the vehicles.

​"Due to the excellent facilities in the Applications Technology department I was able to make a contribution towards safer commercial vehicle industry," Timo summarizes.

Timo will continue his internship at Outokumpu while studying towards Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering.